Safety device for electric apparatus



Feb. 12 1924. 7 1,483,653

P. J. DUGAN SAFETY DEVICE FOR ELECTRIC APPARATUS Filed, Bed. 31. 1920 To 6ONI'ROLLER5 To CONTROLLERS DOOR LOCKS CLOSED za nwmrbn Tatented Feb. 12, 1924.

1 UNITED STATES 1,433,653 PATENT". ors cs.

PETER J. ocean, or snonx, new ronic.

SAFETY DEVICE FOR ELECTRIC APPARATUS.

- Application filed December 31,1920. Serial no. 434,235.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that 1, PETER J..DUGAN, being a citizenof the United States, residing at Bronx, in the countyor" Bronx and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Safety Devices for Electric Apparatus, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

-My invention relates to improvements in safety devices useful in the arts generally, and particularly in connection with elevators, its object being to provide automatic means to prevent the starting of the elevator, or the like, while a door of the elevator shaft is open, and while the controller handle is off the neutral position, whetl er th door is opened or closed after the car has once been stopped.

As is well-known, electrically controlled elevators areprovided with a control box, in which a control handle is worked from neutral to the full speed position passing over contacts representing intermediate speeds between neutral and maximum speed. It is common practice for elevator operators rior to starting a car to throw the control ever overto the full speed position, and to then shut the elevator door to close the operating circuit 1 through the controller. This action results in the application of the full operating current to the machines, and increases the wear and tear on the hoisting apparatus" enormously beyond the normal, increasing maintenance costs of the app-(i.- ratus and decreasing the life of the apparatus. i

I have found that by equipping the control box of an elevator, with my new and novel device about to be described, that the operator is compelled to start the car in the manner in which it is designed to be operated and that the maintenance costs of an apparatus is reduced to a minimum and the life of the apparatus as a whole is increased beyond normal. By way of illustration I have shown my invention as applied to an elevator system and in the accompanying drawings,

Fig. 1 is a front elevation, partly sectional, of In new device and the circuits therefor showlng the apparatus in the closed position, and

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the device in the open position.

In the drawings, 1 is a magnetco-il wound on a brass spool, 2, the coil being connected by'a wire, 3, to the main wire, 1-, on the one hand and through a -res1stance, 5, and a number of door locks, 6, 6, in series to another main wire, 7.

The spool, 2, is connected by a wire, 8, to a neutral point in the elevator control de vice conventionally indicated by the wire,9. A terminal, 10, in an insulating bushing, 11, is mounted in the top of the spool, 2, said contact being connected by a wire, 12, through the door locks, 6, to the main wire, 7. A movable armature,-13, is mounted in the spool and contacts with'the terminal, 10, at the top of the spool, 2. The armature, 13, is connected by, a pin and slot connection,

14, 15, on a crosshead, 16, of insulating material pivoted at 17 to the car frame. A

spring, 18, rests on a shoulder, 19, on the armature, 13, and bears against the bottom ofthe spool, 2. A roller, 20, is mounted on the lower end of the cross-head, l6, and rests on a cam, 21, mounted on a'cam arm, 22,

connected to the controller shaft, 23, to

which the controller handle (not'shown) is connected, the cam, 21, moving in unison with the said controller handle, as will he understood. The usual emergency switch is shown at 24. Suitable adjustment of the cam, 21,0nthe arm,22,is obtained through the medium of the adjustingscrews, 25. A

stop for the cross-head is indicated at 26 and is adjusted through the medium of the adjustingscrews,-27, shown in dotted lines.

The apparatus as shown in Fig. liis in the closed position, with the controller handle in neutral position, as indicated by the position ofthe cam, 21. The circuit from the main wire, 7, is through the door locks, 6, the wire, 12, the terminal, 10, armature, 13, spring, 18, spool, 2, wire, 8, con trol wire, 9, the latter being connected through the usual control mechanism to the main wire, 4, as is .now well understood in the art. At the same time, current also flows through resistance, 5, the coil, 1, and the wire, 3, and the coil is so designed as to be strong enough to hold the armature, 13, in contact with the terminal, 10, during the operation of the apparatus. The operator is now at liberty to move the controller handle forward or'backward to start and operate the car either upward or downward, and the magnet coil, 1, will hold the armature, 13, in contact with the terminal, 10, during this period.

When the car is brought to a stop and the elevator door opened, the appropriate door lock, 6, is broken, and interrupts the current flow through the magnet coil, 1, and through the terminal, 10. Should the car operator While the door is still open throw his control handle out of the neutral position shown is where the magnet coil,,1, when currentagain flows through it cannot draw the armature, 13, up into contact with the terminal, 10. Ihe closing of the elevator door, and consequently the closing of the appropriate door lock or switch, 6, closes the circuit through the magnet coil, 1, but does not close the circuit through the terminal, 10, as the weight of the armature, 13, the cross-head,.16,.and the action of the spring, 18, is too great, as above set forth, and the car cannot be started by the closing of the door. The operator, therefore, is compelled to return the controller handle to the neutral position, which throws the cam, 21, into engagement with 'the roller, 20, forcing the cross-head upward and throwing the armature, 13, into contact with the terminal, 10, thus completing the circuit to the controller device, and thereafter the magnet will hold the armature, 13, incontact with the terminal, 10, whilethe car is operated up or down, as explained above.

The door locks,6, may be of the usual construction of switch for that purpose, but I prefer to use a switch of the, type disclosed in my application Serial No. 434,294, filed December 31, 1920, to which reference is made for a more complete disclosure of that device. 7

What I claim as my invention is: V

1. In an electric apparatus, the comhiuzu tion with a source of current supply, control devices. connected to said current-supply,

and mechanism for operating said control devices, of a magnet coil connected to said current supply, an armature for said magnet coil closing the circuit of the saidopcrating mechanism, and means for breaking the circuit of the control devices when no current is flowing through the magnet and the operating mechanism ;is out of starting position.

2. Inan electric apparatus, the combination with a source of electric supply, control devices connected thereto, and mechanism for operating said control devices, of an electric magnet connected across said current source and having an armature closing the circuit of said control devices, a pivoted support for said armature in operative relation to said operating mechanism, and means for breaking the circuit of the control devices when no current isflowing through the magnet coil and theoperating mechanism is out of starting position.

3. In anelectric apparatus, the combination with a source of electric supply, control devices connected thereto, and mechanism for operating said control devices, of an electric magnet in operative relation to said current source and having an armature closing thecircuit of said control devices, a pivoted support for said armature in operative relation to said operating mechanism, a cam connected with the operating mechanism and cooperating with the said armature to close the circuit of the control devices and to open said circuit when no current is flowing mature in operative relation to said operating-mechanism, a cam connected with'the operating, mechanism and cooperatlng with the said armatureto close the circuit of the control devices and to open said circuit when no current is flowing in themagnet coil and the operating mechanismis out of starting position.

In testimony whereof I hereto ailix my signature.

' PETER J. DUGAN.

IOU 

